Every Day Devotion

1 Peter 3:17 [17] For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (ESV) Read that verse again. There might be a phrase that grabs your attention and shakes your senses a little bit. The phrase is, "if that should be God's will." There are many people who claim to know Christ who are shocked by the idea that it could be God's will that we should suffer. Even more shocking is the idea that it would be God's will that we should suffer for doing good. We must remember that it was God's will that Jesus himself suffer. In fact, he suffered for doing good. There was no evil found in him. He was perfectly holy. As Isaiah says, "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10). When we consider the suffering that we may go through, we are reminded that God wills suffering for the believer. Now, let's consider this statement, "It is better." Why would it be better

1 Peter 3:16 [16] Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (ESV)   When you think about having a good conscience you likely think that everyone will realize that you are a good, godly person. You would probably expect that people would not say anything evil about you because they would know better. After all, who would believe a false story about you when your conscience is clear before God? Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who are willing to slander your good name. They have no problem taking a chance on people believing them. Evil people delight in spreading evil. Liars love to lie. If they see that you have a good conscience they are possibly intimidated by your righteousness. They will have no problem spreading terrible things about you. The Apostle Peter says that your good conscience will not keep people from reviling you. Rather, when they do revile you, the evil people will ultimately

1 Peter 3:15 [15] But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (ESV) The main point of this verse is found in the phrase, "make a defense to anyone who asks you." The Greek word for defense is where we get our word, "apologetics." Apologetics does not mean being sorry. Rather, it means to defend our position. When we are living in an ungodly culture we need to be able to share with others exactly what we believe and why we believe it. To defend our faith starts with a foundation of honoring Christ the Lord as holy in our hearts. There are many people who attend church who are not able to give a reason for the hope within them. The reason for this inability is that they do not honor Christ the Lord as holy. Jesus is a passive, wimpy, coddling deity of their own imagination. If we are going to share our faith, we need to

1 Peter 3:14 [14] But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them,  nor be troubled, (ESV)   In general, the life of the true believer in Jesus Christ brings harmony to the society. Because we have received great love from God, we want to share that love with those around us. Ideally, the Christians in the society should be the most kind, generous, patient, loving neighbors anyone could have. If we do what is right in God's eyes, we should not, generally, be treated with evil. Now, Peter says, even if you do suffer for your godly behavior, you will be blessed. This blessing that you receive may not be a physical, or financial, blessing. Rather, it is something for more lasting and valuable. We know that the greatest blessing is that which comes from above and turns into peace in our hearts. This is what the martyrs of the faith always knew.  Consider the great martyr Polycarp. When he was asked to deny Christ or be burned at the stak

1 Peter 3:13 [13] Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? (ESV) There is a general principle here that Peter is speaking of. If people in a society are actively trying to do good to others they are most likely not going to be harmed by that society. Is this always the case? No, as we will see in the next verse. But, in general, if we are focused on honoring Christ, we will by extension, be honoring our fellow man. This is good for all those around us. The concern is that some Christians are not zealous for what is good. They are focused on themselves. They look to God for what they can get from him, as opposed to coming to him to worship, honor, and glorify him. This is not a small problem. If our vertical relationship (with God) is not right, then our horizontal relationship (with others) will not be right. What's the solution? How do we truly act zealous for God? We show that we are zealous for God by focusing our lives on what glorifies him, and not wha

1 Peter 3:12 [12] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,  and his ears are open to their prayer.  But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (ESV) Many people have a view of God that only incorporates the character traits that they like. They like the idea of God being a God of love. They assume this means that God is kind of a mushy old grandfather, who winks at all of our ungodly behavior. The Apostle Peter describes a God who is not this way. He is looking at the righteous and the unrighteous. His look is different, depending on who he is looking at. As he looks at the righteous, he is looking at his children. We refer to him as our heavenly father. We are even instructed to approach him boldly, and affectionately. 1Galatians 4:6 tells us, "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” That word, "Abba," is a term of affection, which we could translate, "Daddy." We are reminded in 1

1 Peter 3:11 [11] Let him turn away from evil and do good;  let him seek peace and pursue it. (ESV) Peter continues giving instruction to us on how we are to respond to the unbelieving culture in which we live. We must always remember that the way that we live is a demonstration of our love for Christ. Our goal is that as people see our lives they will be drawn to Jesus Christ. The Christian's worldview will always be at odds with the culture we are surrounded by. We must turn away from evil and do good. It seems like no matter where we go there is evil there, enticing us to follow. Whether we are tempted to speak an unkind word in retaliation, or to engage in some kind of immoral behavior, or even to dwell on thoughts in our hearts that are full of hatred, there is always an opportunity to pursue evil. We are to turn away from it.  In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul describes this inner struggle that he has with sin. He says in verse 21, "So I find it to be a law that when I want

1 Peter 3:10 [10] For  “Whoever desires to love life  and see good days,  let him keep his tongue from evil  and his lips from speaking deceit; (ESV) The Apostle Peter quotes from Psalm 34 in this verse. We need to remember the context of what Peter is talking about in this epistle. He is talking about how we should respond to those who treat us with evil intent, reviling us. Our response is to not respond to evil with more evil. Rather, we are to respond by speaking well of those who oppose us. Here we are reminded that we are to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit. What would happen if we were to treat our opponents with evil lips and deceit? We would be no different than them. Scripture consistently reminds us that the children of God are to be different from the children of the enemy.  As a child of God, you should know that your behavior ought to reflect the character of your heavenly father. In an earthly family, children demonstrate the traits of their ea

  1 Peter 3:9 [9] Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (ESV) There are a lot of preachers today that are preaching that God wants to shower you with abundant blessings. If you were to ask the average professing Christian if they wanted to receive a blessing from God, you can be sure, the majority would say, "yes!" Peter gives a wonderful formula for receiving a blessing from the Lord. You must bless those who treat you in an evil way. Sound good? The Apostle Peter makes it very clear that the Christian life is radically different from the world. It is our natural inclination as human beings to want to repay evil for evil. If someone does not give us the attention that we think we deserve, or has the audacity to call us a name, we are ready to fire back with the full force of our vengeance and wrath. As you have already seen in previous verses, the example for our way of li

1 Peter 3:8 [8] Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. (ESV) Peter has established in this letter that we are a special people called together by God himself. He has emphasized that Christian believers are humble people, who willingly subject themselves to authority. This is because God himself has established authority, and so, when we are demonstrating a submissive attitude we are displaying respect to something that God has established. It would follow, then, that those who are willingly submissive to one another as members of the body of Christ, that they would have unity of mind, sympathy,  brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. We know that we are part of the kingdom of God. None of us is seeking to build our own kingdom. This is the ideal that we find here in this verse. So, how do we see things work out in every day life in the body of Christ? Is everyone acting the way that Peter is prescribing for us?

"Every Day Devotion: Romans" is a verse by verse devotional approach to the book of Romans. I believe it will help you swallow big doctrinal truths of Christianity in small bites, as you read through this book.  "Every Day Devotion: James" is a verse by verse devotional approach to the book of James. This book will help you to learn how to put your faith into practice. "Sermon On The Mount" is a study of Jesus' great sermon in Matthew 5-7.  I am currently working on a study of "Ephesians," which should be finished in a couple of weeks. Blessing to all of you who are a part of the "Every Day Devotion" family! - Pastor Kevin Zufall  

1 Peter 3:7 [7] Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (ESV) The last few verses have been a little hard for most wives to read. They speak of submission to their husbands. Their beauty was to be their gentle and quiet spirit. They were instructed to look at the model of Sarah, Abraham's wife, who obeyed her husband, and even called him lord. It would be easy for a woman to be thinking, "Ok, how about the husbands?" Peter has plenty to say to the husbands. Men are to show submission, as well. They are to look at their wives as a weaker vessel, and submit to caring for their wives and meeting their needs. This idea of the women being a weaker vessel is a statement about their physical strength. They are, in no way, inferior to man, either spiritually or physically. What is the way a husband ought to treat

1 Peter 3:6 [6] as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. (ESV) The Apostle Peter has been building the case that a Christian woman is a submissive woman. Before making the case that a woman is to be submissive, he has already made the case that all Christians should be submissive to every institution of mankind. This involves slaves being submissive to their masters. It involves all people being submissive to the ungodly emperor of Rome.  Submission is not a worldly character trait. Society rebels against such a notion. Even Christians have a hard time with the idea of being submissive to anyone. We think that if we show submission to someone who is undeserving this will be wrong and unjust. Jesus compels us to be just like him. He humbled himself to the will of the father. It led to unjust treatment, but it also glorified the Father. Sarah is given as an example of submission. She obeyed her husba

1 Peter 3:5 [5] For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, (ESV) Many women would read these words from the Apostle Peter and be incensed. How dare he suggest that women should be submissive to their husbands? Before any one loses their collective minds, let's remember that God's way is always the right way, and man's way is inferior. Whether we like what God says or not, he is always right. Holy women of the past demonstrated their beauty by submission to their husbands. Submission is a Christian ideal. This is why the world that does not know Christ is so rebellious to the idea. Man, without the intervention of Christ in their lives, is by nature a rebel to the core. All of us, at one time, were rebels against all the laws of God. Jesus himself modeled submission to His Heavenly Father. We could say, "Well, just because Jesus was submissive does not mean I should be." In Philippians 2, the Apost

1 Peter 3:4 [4] But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (ESV) Peter is telling believing women how they look beautiful for the men in their lives. You might say, "Wait a minute, Men? Plural?" Of course! There should be two men in the life of a married Christian woman whom she wants to be beautiful for. First and foremost, she will want to be beautiful for her Lord, Jesus Christ. She is part of the Church, the bride of Christ. Also, she will want to be beautiful for her husband. I love how Peter describes the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit as being imperishable. As mentioned in the previous verses, women are encouraged to reject the world's understanding of beauty which is outward and external. That kind of beauty is contrasted with a beauty that is imperishable. The beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is not given to decay. We all know that time is not fr

1 Peter 3:3 [3] Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— (ESV) As you read this verse you are likely thinking of how much money is made by companies that sell hair products, jewelry, and clothing to women! I suppose that the modern day companies that cater to women are not big fans of the words we find here from the Apostle Peter. Is Peter saying that Christian women should be drab, with no makeup or jewelry? Perhaps, wearing burlap sacks for dresses? Peter is making a bigger point here. This is not a legalistic condemnation of certain kinds of things that women are apt to wear. Peter is speaking of the manner in which a women pursues beauty. If she is thinking that the way to be considered beautiful is by what is seen externally, then she is missing where true beauty lies.  It is sad to see that most of our culture is given to only valuing beauty that is external. It speaks to just how shallow mankind truly

1 Peter 3:2 [2] when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (ESV) Peter is continuing in describing how wives are to be subject to their husbands. This is not an easy word, but it is consistent with the preceding verses that describe all of the institutions of mankind that we are required to be subject to. This subjection is not because it is always fair, or even fun, but rather it is something that we do as unto the Lord, and following the Savior himself who was subject to injustice. The respect and pure conduct that the wife displays has the power to actually bring a non-believing husband to faith in Christ without her even saying a word. That is powerful. Emerson Eggerichs wrote a book called, Love and Respect. His main proposition is that Scripture commands women to respect their husbands, and husbands to love their wives. He suggests that it is hard for women to be respectful. “Unfortunately, a wife’s usual approach is to complain and criticize in order to motivate her husband

1 Peter 3:1 [1] Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, (ESV) In our modern culture, this verse could cause a lot of consternation in women who read it. The idea of being subject to a husband sounds like women being deemed inferior. One word that is helpful as you look at this verse is the first word, "Likewise." It points the reader back to what was said in previous verses. That being said, let's take a quick look back. Peter has just spoken of how the believer in Jesus Christ is not to view the world as those who do not know Jesus Christ. We are subject to people who do not act in ways that deserve our subjection. We are to honor the emperor. Slaves are to be subject to their masters. For the sake of Christ, we are to be subject to every institution known to man. How does this attitude of humility affect the family institution? Peter says that wives are to

1 Peter 2:25 [25] For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV) There is much said in scripture about sheep. The great King David was a shepherd. The word, "shepherd" is used in this verse to refer to Jesus. This word is also used in various places to describe other leaders of people. In the previous verses, the Apostle Peter has described Jesus as a great example for us of how we are to deal with suffering. Here we see that he is a great shepherd of those who do suffer. If Jesus is the great shepherd, we are the sheep. That is what Peter says here. We were straying like sheep. I do not know a lot about these fuzzy animals, but I know that they are prone to wander. They need a shepherd to care for them, and to take them away from areas that are dangerous. It is clear in this verse that our "straying like sheep" is a reference to our life before Christ.  It would be nice to think that our straying like sheep

1 Peter 2:24 [24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (ESV) Peter is speaking to new believers in Jesus Christ. They were Jews, scattered across the Roman Empire. Their new-found faith in Jesus as their Messiah, and their Savior, had provided for them persecution and suffering. They were not alone. Jesus himself was faithful in the midst of intense persecution. He was mocked, spit upon, beaten, reviled, and Peter reminds them now that he was killed. Jesus bore our sins in his body. What does that mean? The theological answer is propitiation. He paid the penalty of God's wrath that our sins deserved by taking our punishment on his perfect, holy body. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was at the hands of cruel and unjust men. However, it was not without purpose. The purpose was to set us free from sin. We continue to struggle with our sinful nature, but we are no longer bound to it. Be

1 Peter 2:23 [23] When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (ESV) Words can be used to destroy people. We have probably been on the receiving end of some hateful words. Sadly, we have probably used words to hurt other people. We know that Jesus was on the receiving end of many hurtful words. It is incredible to think that the Creator of the universe, the very one who is the author of language itself would be the recipient of hateful words. John MacArthur defines this word, "revile" in this way:  "To pile up abusive and vile language against someone." As you think about our precious Savior, I hope that you are properly offended at this level of injustice brought against the perfect Son of God by senseless, ruthless, evil people. Imagine that God the Father did not bring his full wrath upon them with every word spoken. Jesus is the amazing example given to us of h

1 Peter 2:22 [22] He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. (ESV) We have discovered that suffering is a part of the life of every believer. All people will suffer. What matters is how well we suffer. God allows us to endure suffering, and we can either glorify God in our suffering, or we can be angry at God, claiming that somehow we are above having to suffer. Peter reminds us today that our example is Christ himself.  Jesus, the suffering servant, is the example for us of how we should suffer. Notice that Jesus committed no sin, and was never deceitful. At first glance, we could think that he would be above suffering. After all, he was perfect! There is something in our heads that tells us if we are pure, and we do not sin, we will avoid suffering. This is a concept not found in Scripture. None of us need worry about ever being accused of being without sin. A daily dose of honesty will be enough to remind ourselves that we are far from perfect. Scripture also helps

1 Peter 2:21 [21] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (ESV) Let's be honest. None of us likes to suffer. If I have a mild headache, I carry on like I am on my death bed. I know that if there is a way for me to avoid suffering I am looking for that easy escape. I do not think that I am alone. None of us likes to suffer. The largest churches in the country are the ones telling people that if they have enough faith they will never suffer. Why are those churches full? Because we hate suffering! The Apostle Peter is not going to let us off the hook. Instead of finding a way for us to avoid suffering he is telling us that we have been called by God to suffer. He appeals to the example of Jesus Christ himself, saying that because Christ suffered for us, we have an example to follow in suffering. This is bad news for those who want to be Christians and avoid suffering. It is great news, howev

1 Peter 2:20 [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (ESV) This verse is difficult for us because we are likely to be offended that it says we could be beaten for doing something wrong. Here is where we need to understand the culture of the people whom Peter was writing to. They could well have been servants. Servants could have beaten. Sometimes they were beaten because they did something wrong. Sometimes they endured beatings unjustly, at the hands of an evil master. Shockingly, to our current cultural understandings, Peter does not condemn the unjust beatings, much less beatings in general. What he says is significant. He says that if we get beaten for doing wrong, so be it. We have earned it. If we are beaten although we were doing good, God sees this injustice and it is a gracious thing in his sight. He will ultimately reward us for suffering w

1 Peter 2:19 [19] For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. (ESV) There is a phrase that is commonly heard from the mouths of children. "It's not fair!" Mind you, a child's understanding of what is fair is not the most reliable. Having to make their bed, or put their dirty clothes in the laundry is likely to be considered a grave injustice to a child who would rather be playing with their toys and ignoring responsibility. What happens to you and me when we have to go through legitimately unjust suffering? Are we inclined to shout out to God, "It's not fair!" This verse raises the situation of enduring sorrows while suffering unjustly. We are not told that it is fair that we endure this suffering. God recognizes that we are experiencing something that is unjust. It is unfair and God knows it. What God does say to us in our suffering unjust things is that it is a gracious thing when our attitude is fo

1 Peter 2:18 [18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. (ESV) When we here the word "servant" we are concerned. We tend to think of slavery. We know that there is a lot of ugly history associated with that word. We are right to be concerned. In this context, Peter is referring to servants, who made up a considerable part of the social structure in the Roman Empire. Not all masters were evil. Not all servants were treated as we think of slaves being treated. For the sake of this verse it would probably be more helpful to think of the word "master" as "boss." Peter is saying that you should be the most respectful worker your boss has ever had. He points out the character trait we all tend to share. We will be respectful of bosses who treat us well. God wants us to be respectful whether we are being treated respectfully or not. If you are only going to be respectful to those who treat yo

1 Peter 2:17 [17] Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (ESV) We are given instruction here on how to relate to all levels of people. This verse category is quite simple; everyone! We are to honor everyone. It is a lot easier to say that we will honor everyone than for us to actually do it. We tend to have no problem offering honor to those whom we think are honorable. Peter gives us no option to withhold honor from anyone. We are to treat all people honorably. Peter moves to our love for the brotherhood. What does he mean by the brotherhood? He is speaking of the church. This is such a significant point. Jesus said, in John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). When it comes to how we treat people in the church, it is essential that we love each other. This is the very thing that shows that we are Christians. As the outside world observes those who claim to follow Jesus Christ, how sho

1 Peter 2:16 [16] Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (ESV) As believers in Jesus Christ it is understandable that we should celebrate our freedom. We are no longer bound to the Old Testament Law. Because of God's grace we are declared righteous before God even though we are still in a struggle against our sinful nature. Peter reminds the believers that, although they are free, that freedom is not a license to sin. One of the accusations that was brought against the first century Christians was that they were engaging in all kinds of sin because they knew that their sins were forgiven in Christ. This accusation was addressed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-2. He says, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (ESV)" We live as free people, however, Peter reminds us that we are servants of God. Think about that f

1 Peter 2:15 [15] For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (ESV) In the last few verses we have seen that God wants us to subject ourselves to earthly authority. This is particularly difficult when that earthly authority is very ungodly and corrupt. Nevertheless, this is our calling. Here in verse 15, the Apostle Peter shows us the reason for our submissive behavior, which challenges us to the very core. We subject ourselves to authority because it is God's will. Our good behavior, in spite of unreasonable demands placed on us by earthly authority, silences those who criticize us. Remember, Peter writes to people who were a part of this very new thing called Christianity. The pagan Roman Empire did not always look kindly on the church. Christians were accused of all kinds of things that were simply false. Many of the criticisms were intended to portray Christians as being a rebel group that in some way was trying to

1 Peter 2:14 [14] or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (ESV) There is an expression we often hear that goes like this: "The Lord works in mysterious ways." We often look at the way God does things and foolishly think that if we were God we would do things differently. We would do them differently, but not better. God's ways are so far above our ways. One of the things we have a hard time with is the fact that God accomplishes his purposes through very flawed people. Consider this truth:  Noah got drunk. Abraham was too old. Isaac was a daydreamer. Jacob lied. Leah was ugly. Joseph was abused. Moses was a murderer. Gideon was afraid. Rahab was a prostitute. David was an adulterer and murderer. Elijah was suicidal. Jonah ran from God. Peter denied Christ. Martha worried about everything. Paul was a murderer. These are all people from the Bible who God used. In this verse, the Apostle Peter talks about how God uses godle

1 Peter 2:13 [13] Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, (ESV) If you talk to anyone about the state of our country you will likely get an earful. We love to talk about the good old days when things were better. We love to list all of the many ways that our politicians have become corrupt. Of course, things would be better if we were in charge, we suspect. We do not think that our government is pure. We are correct. Where we can get into trouble as Christians is by thinking that we are welcome to ignore our governmental institutions. We surmise that because our government is corrupt we can do what we want. The Apostle Peter speaks directly to this thought. He says that we are to be subject to every human institution, including the governmental institution that we would like to ignore. Peter was writing to people who were subject to the Roman Empire. There is no question that there was corruption in the government of Peter'